By Alexander Krassimirov
April 23 – CSKA Sofia’s Portuguese winger Toni Silva (pictured) would appear to have been forced into what is a remarkable public statement saying that insulting remarks made to him by the club’s fans (including ‘monkey’ insults) are not racist.
By Andrew Warshaw
April 23 – The deepening impasse between Greece and football’s governing bodies has intensified after Greek authorities angrily rejected an ultimatum from FIFA and UEFA to stop interfering with football or risk being thrown out of international competition.
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
April 22 – In another sign of the worsening condition of Romanian football, FC Brasov has entered insolvency proceedings, and shortly after lost its chief executive.
By Paul Nicholson
April 22 – Credit ratings agency Fitch Ratings has highlighted the current strength of the sports market in its Infra-Read market briefing newsletter issued from its US offices. The newsletter examines the health of a number of infrastructure sectors but leads its editorial with a focus on sports saying that the explosive growth in sports media rights is driving revenue, flexibility and stability.
By Mark Baber
April 21 – The Israeli Equal Employment Opportunities Commission has demanded that Beitar Jerusalem retract statements the team’s coach made against Arab players joining the team in a move which highlights the failure of the Israeli Football Federation (IFA) to eliminate racist and apartheid practices within its own leagues, just five weeks before FIFA’s annual conference and the debate on the motion to suspend the IFA over its racist policies towards Palestinians.
By Alexander Krassimirov
April 21 – CSKA Sofia Ultras have taken extreme measures after the team suffered loss. Yesterday CSKA lost to Lokomotiv Sofia and after the game the fans summoned the players to one of the stands of Bulgarska armia stadium.
By Andrew Warshaw
April 21 – UEFA president Michel Platini has promised Israel he will do everything he can to stave off a Palestinian bid to suspend them from FIFA, according to Israeli media reports.
By Paul Nicholson
April 20 – Real Madrid and Barcelona are not just giants on the pitch, they are social media monsters off it. The two Spanish clubs head Insideworldfootball’s European club ranking in terms of followers, with the English Premier League’s Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea in 3rd, 4th and 5th place respectively.
April 20 – Iconic English club Leeds United, back in the news for all the wrong reasons, insist that six players who suddenly withdrew ahead of Saturday’s defeat at Charlton were injured.
April 20 – Russian authorities are to build two new sports centres in Crimea in the latest move to cement their influence in the annexed peninsula where UEFA have already barred Russian-administered teams from competing in their competitions or the Russian domestic league.
April 17 – The Irish Football Association has been advised to demolish a damaged stand at the national stadium following a preliminary structural report.
By Andrew Warshaw
April 17 – The Greek authorities are on a collision with FIFA and EUFA over plans to tackle violence in domestic sport, with the two bodies warning the country could be thrown out of international football because of government interference.
By Samindra Kunti
April 17 – Next season the women’s Super League will replace the BeNe League in Belgium. Eight teams will compete in the newly designed league format with the champions crowned after play-offs.
April 15 – Croatian football, marred by constant problems involving hooligan fans, is back in the spotlight again for all the wrong reasons after national team coach Niko Kovac was assailed by a group of supporters wearing Hajduk Split colours.
April 15 – Bulgarian football is facing yet another potential match-fixing scandal following allegations of games being manipulated in the country’s second division.